In The Alleyway
by chaneenhicks
Summary: Piri Pantera has lived alone since she was young, she doesn't like people which has left her with only one friend and yet, she finds herself going to the club each night to try and find herself a man…well, one night, after what seemed to be yet another disappointing night at the club, she hears a noise coming from an alley way and what she finds might just change her life….
1. Mystery Man

Piri let out a quiet breath of relief as she stepped out of the loud, over-crowded night club that resided near her apartment, despite the fact it was a large and very popular club, Piri found herself unimpressed by it.

It was dark inside with bright flashing lights, the floors were a mess, the music left her head pounding in an undesirable way, she hated the way she had been groped each time she tried to move and worst of all, the alcohol sucked balls.

"Maybe it's about time I went home…" The soft whisper left her lips, fading away into the night while she ran her fingers through her long, wild cherry red hair; her grey eyes darkening like the oncoming storm clouds, Piri was annoyed that she had wasted so much time in that miserable place.

As she moved to walk back home; a quiet noise of what seemed to be pain caught her attention, leading her to walk in the opposite direction; straight into a dark, wet alley way that reeked of only god knows what, though Piri had a good guess on a few of those smells.

"Hello…?" She whispered softly, hesitant as she neared the source of the groans; she could still turn back and go home, she knew that she still had that chance, that opportunity…but she couldn't bring herself to do it lest she saw it on the news the next day, she would never be able to look anyone in the eyes again, least of all, look at her own reflection.

"Oh my god…" Piri froze as she stepped into a small puddle of blood; the only way she was able to figure out it was blood was because there was a man laying behind a couple of trash cans and despite how dark it was, there was a thin stream of light that came from a nearby street light, showing her that the liquid on the ground was indeed oozing from the poor man's battered body.

"Excuse me…" She murmured, taking a hesitant step forwads, her body trembling as she touched his shoulder with the tips of her fingers; a surprised and terrified gasp leaving her lips as she was yanked onto the ground with the man; his light blue eyes like glaciers while he glared into her eyes, his grip growing painful on her wrist with each passing second, not that he seemed to care.

"…Who…?" The man managed to mutter, staring into her eyes while she bit into her lip, willing herself not to scream out for help; for some strange, bizzare reason, Piri got the feeling that this man shouldn't be seen by people.

"I…that doesn't matter…what happened to you?" She questioned, lowering her gaze to his body; his shirt was badly torn and many wounds covered him, gashes, grazes and even bruises were showing so easily, despite the poor lighting in the alley way.

"Ulquiorra…" The name left his lips as his grip grew slack and his eyes slid shut; just as Piri was about to panic, she realised that he had simply fallen unconscious, probably from a loss of blood.

"Ulquiorra…?" She whispered, the name sounding foreign to her tongue; though at the same time, she found that the name sent a spark of fear through her body, she wasn't sure why it happened but she was sure that he wasn't a friend to the bloody and beaten man that lay in front of her, instead, she suspected that man named Ulquiorra had been the one to do this to the man.

"How do I even get myself into these messes?" Piri whispered to herself, slowly standing up before taking her shoes off, struggling to ignore the feeling of his blood on her feet.

If Piri was going to be carrying the man home then she was going to have to be barefoot, even if it hurt; she knew her limits and she knew that if she could barely walk in her heels on her own then there was no way in hellshe'd be able to walk in them with another person's body weight added to her own, not to mention the fact she still had to figure out how she was going to carry him, she wasn't exactly super woman and the man appeared to be tall and heavy.

"He had better be thankful…and he'd better apologise for grabbing me like that…" She muttered softly, speaking to herself as she lifted the man off the ground, somehow managing to get him over her shoulder awkwardly, causing her to lose her balance and almost fall; luckily, however, she managed to regain what little balance she had left, steadying herself before walking to the end of the alley way, glancing around to make sure no one was in the well-lit streets.

Piri didn't even want to consider what would happen if she was to be caught with a heavily bleeding man, even if she was just trying to help him; to her it felt like it would be more effort than it's worth, besides, a few years back, Piri used to be a nurse, this man wasn't going to die so long as she could get him to her home safely and if things did go bad, she could call her friend; he was almost magic with the way he saved people who looked like they weren't going to make it.

Her footsteps were heavier than normal and the pavement seemed to be covered in sharp objects; it seemed like today just wasn't her day.

A yelp of pain left her lips as she stood on a large piece of glass that had come from a long ago broken bottle; the piece lodging itself into her foot, making her cast a glance at the injured man, oh how she wished she could just drop the injured man and get the glass out, but she knew, she had to take care of him first, he needed her help and she was more than happy to give it to him.


	2. Awake and Alive

A deep and throaty groan left Grimmjow's lips as he moved his hand to his aching head; for some strange reason, he didn't feel the same way he did when he had blacked out last night, instead, all he seemed to feel was comfort and warmth which didn't quite suit the alley way picture.

"The fuck…?" He muttered quietly, slowly opening his eyes while sitting up, ignoring the pain running through his body as he glanced around slowly; he was in a small bedroom that had pale grey walls and simple, white furniture, he'd never seen this room before, he knew that without a doubt.

In fact, he couldn't remember how the hell he had come to be in the room, last night all he could remember was Ulquiorra, their fight, unimaginable pain and then…grey eyes, stormy grey eyes filled with worry and fear; he couldn't remember who those eyes belonged to though, he was too close to blacking out at that point.

"Oh…you're finally awake then…" A soft voice murmured, catching Grimmjow's attention immediately, causing him to look towards the door; a small woman standing there with bandages and small towels greeting him.

"Who the fuck are you woman?" He demanded, sounding harsher than he had originally meant to because of the pain that filled his body; he always got like this when he was in pain.

"Oh, no one special, I'm just the woman that carried your heavy ass back to my home after finding you half dead in an alley way" She murmured, a frown quickly forming on her features, her eyes darkening instantly, resembling the eyes that he had remembered from the previous night, this was the woman that helped him? Grimmjow hadn't been expecting that at all, she was just so…so tiny.

""A small thing like you?" He uttered in disbelief, raising his eyebrow while she narrowed her eyes, walking over to him quickly; causing him to drop his gaze down her body, admiring the way her hips moved with each step she took.

"A small thing like me is about to slap you if you don't lift your eyes to mine" She warned, making a smirk form on his lips; he had no idea he would be rescued by such a feisty woman, it was refreshing compared to the other women that he met, they all cowered from him.

"What's your name anyway?" She asked, sighing as she set the things down onto the bed beside me; the frown disappearing from her face, quickly replaced with a look of curiosity.

"It's Grimmjow…" He muttered, watching her as she moved closer to him, gently removing the bandages; he hadn't even realised he had bandages on.

"I'm Piri…Piri Pantera" She sighed, putting the dirty bandages aside while he stared at her; he had heard that name from somewhere before, recently too, he just couldn't figure out where…he also couldn't figure out if it was an important name or just someone unimportant that had come up in a conversation one day.

"And why'd you help me? You didn't have to" He muttered, watching her closely and running his eyes over her body slowly, despite her warning from before, he found that he couldn't help but admire her perfect form; she didn't have too little or too much of anything and her skin looked flawless, in fact, he found her to suit his tastes perfectly.

"You're kidding right? I found you laying in a puddle of your own blood…! I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I didn't help you" She explained softly, reaching for the small towel, running over his skin slowly, wiping away the blood, attempting to be gentle since he was injured.

"What a naive little woman, you'd be in shit if I wanted to take advantage of ya" He scolded, his voice coming out in a grunt when she touched a particularly tender spot; a quiet apology following soon after.

"I'm not naive…my friend will be here soon…sounded like he might know you actually" Piri murmured, looking up into his eyes while she cleaned him; for some reason, Grimmjow was unable to say anything to her in response, her stormy eyes captivating him; he'd never seen eyes quite like hers.

When Grimmjow didn't respond, Piri looked away and busied herself with the task of fixing him; now, normally Grimmjow would just take off, even when it was his childhood friend trying to help him he'd refuse, he would always grunt and leave, Grimmjow hated relying on people…but here with this woman, it left him shocked to his very being, he felt like he could stay…no, like he _should_ stay, like he should let her help him…though if his friend ever caught wind of this, he would never let it go and just tease the fuck out of Grimmjow.

"Piri, you weren't answering your door so I let myself…Grimmjow?" A quiet voice muttered, causing him to look up; a groan of annoyance leaving his lips, just his luck, it was Starrk.

"Yo" Grimmjow muttered, lifting his hand and waving to the lazy male slightly; hoping that there would be no comments towards the red head cleaning his wounds.

"I see you've met Piri…I thought her description of you sounded familiar" He muttered dryly, walking over to Grimmjow slowly while he looked away, rubbing the back of his head.

"How do you know the girl Starrk?" Grimmjow grunted, glancing back at his brown haired friend slightly; watching as he rubbed his forehead, wincing a bit when Piri cleaned the most painful of his wounds.

"She's the girl I told you about, her parents took me in for awhile when she was small" Starrk explained, making Grimmjow raise an eyebrow before nodding slowly; he did, in fact, remember Starrk telling him that which meant that this girl was the one that Starrk had said would make a good match for Grimmjow and he wasn't wrong either.

"There. Finished" Piri murmured, standing up normally and stepping away from Grimmjow who was starting to resemble a mummy.

"So, who was it?" Starrk asked, shoving his hands into his pockets while Grimmjow let out a groan of annoyance, he really didn't want to talk about what happened because he lost. To Ulquiorra of all people.

"When I found him he muttered something about a person called Ulquiorra" Piri offered, sitting on the edge of the bed, facing Starrk, leaving Grimmjow to stare at her and memorise her body.

"Ulquiorra? They found us already?" He asked, glancing at Grimmjow who could only nod; the two of them had been on the run ever since they left their old gang; _Arrancars_.

"Yeah, fucking asshole…followed me and jumped me from behind" Grimmjow muttered, annoyance filling him while Piri frowned; glancing at the two of them.

"Is that it then…? You're old gang…" Piri whispered, looking at Starrk who just sighed and looked at the window, Grimmjow knew what Starrk was thinking; they probably knew about Piri now which meant the two of them would have to stick around to protect her, not that Grimmjow could really run away at the moment anyway.

Aside from that note, he hated running from a fight, it was mainly Starrk that had insisted running but now they had a reason to fight them which made Grimmjow extremely happy; he could get Ulquiorra back for his cowardly attack.

"Piri, I think we need to have a talk…" Starrk trailed off, looking back at her slowly while Grimmjow laid back, relaxing for the moment; this was gonna be a long ass talk.


	3. Run Away

"Shouldn't you go after her?" Grimmjow asked quietly, sparing a glance towards Starrk mere moments after Piri ran off; it was only natural for her to be upset, especially with what Starrk just had to say.

Grimmjow would be surprised if she had acted like everything was normal, Starrk had just told her that because of him, her parents had been murdered.

"I should…but she'll just get mad at me, think you can go keep an eye on her?" Starrk questioned, frowning at Grimmjow; he knew it was a bit much to ask of Grimmjow since he was only attacked last night but if he went to find her then she'd just get more upset.

"Yeah, I'll watch the little brat" Grimmjow sighed, groaning in pain as he forced himself to his feet, running a hand through his messy blue hair; this required a lot of effort and since he didn't get to fight, Grimmjow didn't really want to move too much.

"You know…you can be an asshole all you like but I can already tell you like her" Starrk muttered, looking out the window as Grimmjow walked past him, shoving his hands into his pockets while sending Starrk a glare; Grimmjow absolutely hated it when he was right, but then again, he hadn't admitted anything yet so he could still pretend he didn't.

"I don't like her. She helped me, that's it" He bit out roughly, ignoring the snicker that left his childhood friend; Starrk could be a real asshole when he wanted to be, just like Grimmjow could be, it's one of the main reasons they became friends in all honesty.

"Then why stare so much?" He asked, his question going unanswered while Grimmjow left the room, walking after the small red head; he figured she wouldn't run too far, or rather, he _hoped_ that she wouldn't run too far.

All this moving around wasn't doing him any good so it would be much easier on him if she had just hidden somewhere out the front or something, somewhere nice and easy to find.

"Tch, damn girl…" Grimmjow muttered quietly, looking around slowly as he walked, taking in everything and making sure he didn't overlook any place she could have hidden.

Despite the fact Starrk had acted calm, Grimmjow knew better, he knew that Starrk felt guilty for her parent's death; it had happened around the time they left the gang according to Starrk and even though Grimmjow didn't know all the details, he did know that if Starrk had thought, even for a moment, that they'd be in danger, he would have told them straight out…it had just been bad luck that he didn't think of it.

"There you are…" Grimmjow muttered quietly, stopping as he neared Piri's hiding place; he hadn't realised it as he was walking but she had managed to get down to a nearby night club, she was hiding in an alley way, in fact, it looked pretty damned familiar to him.

"What do you want?" She sniffled, rubbing her eyes as she sat behind some trash cans, trying to hide; whether it was from Grimmjow or just because she felt like she needed to hide, he had no idea…but he did know a thing or two about the pain from having your parents murdered.

"Nothing" He answered shortly, watching her with sympathy as she looked up at him, annoyance and confusion shining in her eyes, overpowering the pain and betrayal she had felt before.

"What? Then why the hell…are you even here?!" She demanded angrily, hot tears rolling down her cheeks and onto her lap; in all honesty, Grimmjow didn't mind if she took her anger out on him, it was natural for her to feel angry and a couple of hits from such a little girl wouldn't bother him that much.

"Starrk knew that you'd be more upset if he came. He sent me. Here I am." Grimmjow shrugged, moving and leaning against the wall; staring into her stormy grey eyes, he could see there was a large storm brewing within her but he didn't care too much, Starrk was right in asking him to watch her, the members of our old gang wouldn't even think twice about hurting a girl like her and even if Grimmjow wasn't in any shape to fight, it doesn't mean that he was unable to, he loved to fight, what did he care if he got a little more bruised.

"What are you? His lap dog?" She muttered bitterly, looking away from him before resting her head on her knees, staring down the alley way blankly.

"I prefer the term _friend_ " He retorted, watching her as she snickered, a ghost of a smile forming on her full lips; she looked a bit better now that she was smiling, even if she was covered in snot from crying.

"This is…where I found you last night…" Piri murmured softly, her voice coming out as a whisper as she stood, stepping towards Grimmjow slowly before turning and motioning to where she had previously been sitting, the dark bloodstains now becoming obvious to him.

"Here? That's my blood?" He asked, his voice quieter than normal as he stared at the stain in shock; that was a lot of blood, he knew he had been seriously injured but still, that was a dangerous amount of blood to lose in one night.

"Yeah…you pulled me onto you when I tried to talk to you…and as you blacked out, you murmured out that name… _Ulquiorra_ …" She explained, staring at the spot while touching her wrist faintly, causing Grimmjow to narrow his eyes and move his hand to her wrist, touching her fingers gently; he figured it was fine since he was alone with her, he could show her a tender moment.

"Did I hurt you?" He enquired, watching her face as she nodded slightly, turning her head to look him in the eyes; the stormy look in her grey eyes passing, fading into a light grey, almost silver in fact.

"Barely…you scared me more than anything…" She murmured while Grimmjow nodded his head in understanding, moving his hand slightly, taking her wrist in his grasp, lifting it to his lips, all the while keeping eye contact with her.

"I'm sorry" He muttered quietly, pressing his lips to her wrist gently in a private moment of care; Grimmjow hated showing this side of himself, just as much as he hated relying on people, however, he felt as if he needed to do this, to apologise to her, for her ears only.

"Grimmjow…?" She whispered softly, a flicker of uncertainty shining in her now, fully silver, eyes; it was beautiful, it was captivating and he found himself unable to look away or to move, his lips remaining on her smooth skin.

"You…we should head back, I won't be able to protect you like this…" Grimmjow muttered, reluctantly tearing his gaze away from hers as he thought of Starrk, he was right, Grimmjow did like Piri, he liked her a lot…but it felt like he'd be dragging her into more danger if he did anything about it.

"Ah…right…sorry" She murmured, pulling her wrist free slowly before walking away from him, causing Grimmjow to notice the bandages the covered one of her bare feet, small spots of red on the base of her bandages causing him to narrow his eyes, she hadn't mentioned that just before, it worried Grimmjow slightly.

"What happened…? To your foot?" He asked, moving and walking beside her while she glanced at him before looking down at her bandaged foot; she didn't look to bothered by it but Grimmjow could see her wince just a little bit more with each passing step.

"I had to take my shoes off so I could carry you home…I stepped on some glass, that's all" She explained, letting out a shocked squeal as Grimmjow lifted her into his arms, carrying her bridal style while ignoring the way pain flooded his body; while she wasn't actually that heavy, he was still injured pretty badly, which meant doing things were going to hurt for awhile.

"…Consider it my thanks for saving my ass, this shit ain't happening every day" Grimmjow bit out roughly, looking away from her as he walked to hide the concern he knew was in his eyes; she had even come out barefoot when she ran off just before so her foot had to be hurting her, it wouldn't kill him to help her out a bit.

"…You're welcome…and thank you" She murmured, leaning into him and causing him to look down at her, just in time to see her close her eyes; already looking fully relaxed.

"I'm still wondering how you managed to get me back to your house…I mean, I get that you carried me but you're so tiny, surprised I didn't squash you flat" He remarked, walking up to her house while she scowled and slapped at the uninjured part of his chest lightly; unamused by his teasing, even if he did make a good point.

"Shut up…Grimmy" She mumbled softly, making him frown slightly before sighing and walking into the house; he wasn't sure when she had time to think of that name but he wasn't about to be the one to upset her and make her run off again.

"My name is Grimmjow…" He sighed, looking down at her as he paused in the hallway, unsure as to where he should deposit the tiny woman; he had absolutely no clue which room was hers.

"And where do I put you down?" He added, watching her as she looked up at him, pointing to the room he had originally been resting in; did that mean that she had given up her bed for him? No, as kind as she had been, she hadn't been that kind had she?

"In my room…Grimmy" She murmured, purposely drawing out the nickname to annoy him as he walked into the room and over to the bed, setting her down on it gently; she was lucky that he was starting to like her, otherwise he might just smack her one.

"Idiot, why'd you give up your bed last night?" Grimmjow asked, grunting in pain as he sat on the edge of the bed, turning his head to look at her, raising an eyebrow as she sat up.

"You were badly injured, it didn't matter anyway, I didn't sleep…I had to keep your wounds from bleeding" She explained, rubbing the back of her neck while he eyed the dark marks under her grey eyes; she definitely hadn't slept last night which meant that she had spent the entire night and morning looking after him.

"What's wrong?" She asked, tilting her head as he moved and laid down beside her, looking around for Starrk before pulling her down onto the bed properly, holding her to his chest and ignoring the way his body ached with pain.

"Little idiot…just get some sleep, I'll keep ya safe…" Grimmjow whispered quietly; making sure that she was the only one that could have possibly heard him, he disliked the idea of Starrk being able to walk in at any moment but he also disliked the idea of her running around all day on no sleep what-so-ever because of him, it just wasn't happening.

Grimmjow looked down at her when he didn't hear a reply, having to resist the urge to snicker at the way she had already fallen asleep, her hands resting on the uninjured part of his chest, she must have been extremely tired for her to just fall asleep like that.


	4. Busted

Starrk smiled faintly as he paused in the doorway to Piri's room; the sight in front of him making him happy, it had been a few hours since Piri had run off and Grimmjow had chased after her so he wasn't sure just how long they had been there but he assumed it had been awhile because of the way they were sleeping.

Grimmjow laid on his back, looking as comfortable as he could possibly get with Piri snuggled into his side, his arm around her delicate waist, keeping her close for protection.

"I knew he liked her…" Starrk whispered to himself, watching as Grimmjow growled in his sleep before rolling to face Piri, pulling her close to his chest, it was as if he was using his body to hide her from the world.

Despite Grimmjow's constant protests of ever finding anyone to be with because of his past and the dangers it would bring, Starrk knew just how badly his friend wanted someone to hold and protect; most people thought of Grimmjow as terrifying and most people would have left him to die in that alley way…but Piri wasn't most people, she had ignored her fear to bring Grimmjow to safety, to a place he could rest and heal without a second thought which is why Starrk knew she was perfect for him.

"You gonna quit staring…?" Grimmjow's tired voice reached his ears, causing him to sigh quietly, he'd been caught watching them, though, that just meant he could give Grimmjow shit later for it.

"You going to admit you have feelings for her?" Starrk countered, watching as the blue haired male grunted, his hold on Piri remaining; surprising Starrk, he had been expecting Grimmjow to pull away or maybe even move to beat the crap out of Starrk for suggesting such a stupid thing, those were the options that suited him best.

"You must be tired if you aren't trying to smack me for that comment" He muttered, leaning against the door frame, watching as Grimmjow lifted his head slightly to look at Starrk; for the first time since Starrk had known Grimmjow, he saw a look of utter calm in his friend's eyes, shocking the hell out of him.

"No…I'm not that tired, I'm just staying here because I'm sore…and I get the feeling she'd wake up if I moved too much" Grimmjow muttered quietly, dropping his head back to his pillow, relaxing instantly while Starrk shook his head, watching them.

"I'll be taking the guest room…it's at the back of the house so watch out just in case…and she probably won't let you sleep anywhere besides there now, she looks pretty damn comfortable where she is…" He chuckled, watching Piri as she snuggled into Grimmjow's chest more, her quiet groan causing the two of them to stiffen before relaxing again; she wasn't even close to waking up but better safe than sorry, especially since Starrk had seen what happened to the people who dared wake her.

"So where was she?" He asked curiously, looking at the window while Grimmjow sighed quietly, moving his hand from her back to his head, running it through his hair before quickly returning it to her back when she had started to move.

"Where she found me last night…" He muttered quietly, looking down at Piri who continued to sleep soundly, having no idea what was currently going on, nor that they were talking about her.

"Really? Wonder why…" Starrk muttered to himself, rubbing his jaw faintly; he hadn't been expecting her to go there, maybe hide in the apartment or in the trees outside but not the spot where she had found Grimmjow, it was a little strange.

"Yeah, said I pulled her onto me and that I hurt her wrist, no bruise though so I suppose that's something" Grimmjow muttered bitterly, still unhappy with the thought of hurting her; even if it was just a small thing that couldn't be seen, he had still done it.

"Anything else?" He muttered, turning his head to Grimmjow and Piri, relaxing slightly at the sight of their comfort, it was easy to relax when the people he cared about were happy and content, mainly Piri though, Grimmjow was a whole different issue.

"She hurt her foot carrying me back apparently, stepped in some glass or something" Grimmjow muttered, nodding towards Piri's bandaged foot; making Starrk frown slightly before nodding his head slowly, Piri was clumsy and if she had tried to take him home from the club then she would have had to take her shoes off.

"Sounds like her alright…" Starrk muttered, sighing quietly before pushing off of the door frame, moving to leave them alone.

"Does she have anyone we can send her to?" Grimmjow asked suddenly, causing Starrk to turn back to him, frowning slightly at the question; it wasn't like him to ask something like that.

"No Grimmjow…there's no one else. I'm her only friend, the rest of her family wants nothing to do with her…at the moment, we're all she has" Starrk explained, watching as Grimmjow frowned, looking down at the sleeping girl in his arms; that meant there was no way for him to keep his distance.

"Why don't you stop thinking of ways to get away from her Grimmjow" Starrk muttered, turning and walking off slowly, hoping that he would listen to him for once in his life.


	5. Bonding

Piri sighed softly as she stepped out of the bathroom, her fluffy, cyan blue towel wrapped around her body firmly so that it wouldn't fall off; it had been a month since Grimmjow and Starrk had come to live in her home and things had been…interesting to say the least.

"Shower's free!" She called out loudly, walking through the hall and towards her room; knowing full-well that it was Starrk's turn for a shower since Grimmjow had used the shower before her.

"Grimmy, put on some clothes already" She murmured as she walked into her bedroom, seeing Grimmjow laying on his back on the bed, boxers on and his chest bare and glistening from the water he had failed to dry with a towel.

"I'm too comfortable" Grimmjow muttered quietly, lifting his head slightly before whistling low; running his eyes over her body slowly, appreciating the way her towel hugged her form perfectly, beads of water running along her smooth skin slowly.

"Fine, fine…" She sighed softly, turning and taking her towel off, throwing it over Grimmjowl's face so that he would be unable to watch her change into fresh clothes; she knew he respected her enough to keep his eyes off her while she was changing, it was one of the reasons why she didn't care if he stared while she had her towel on, he knew when and when not to look.

"We're low on drinks" Grimmjow muttered, laying there with the towel on his face, a yawn leaving his lips; he was feeling pretty lazy today for some reason.

"Again? Alright, I'll go get more in a minute" She murmured, turning to him and raising an eyebrow, he hadn't moved an inch; apparently she was going by herself today.

"See you soon Grimmy" Piri smiled, grabbing her purse before walking out the bedroom; causing Grimmjow to sit up quickly, a frown on his face, he hadn't meant for her to go alone.

"Hey! Wait a sec" He called, getting up and pulling on his pants quickly; searching for his top, Starrk would have his ass if he didn't stick with her, what's worse, if something happened to her when he wasn't with her, Grimmjow himself would be unable to live with himself.

"Fuck…there it is" He muttered, picking up his shirt before running out after Piri, pausing to put his shoes on; damn girl didn't wait for him even though he told her to wait.

"Calm down would you? I heard you Grimmy" Piri giggled as Grimmjow ran outside, stopping and turning to the laughing redhead; apparently she just wanted to mess with him.

Grimmjow pulled his top on slowly before grabbing Piri and throwing her over his shoulder, his hands on her thighs to keep her from falling off of his shoulder.

"Hey! Grimmy, put me down!" She shouted, attempting to kick her legs, causing him to chuckle and hold her legs closer to his chest; walking down the street quickly.

"Not a chance short stuff!" He snickered, moving her so that she was resting against his hips, causing her to wrap her legs around him, scowling up at him while he grinned down at her.

"Jerk" She huffed softly, moving her arms around his neck loosely, resting her head against his chest, a soft sight escaping her lips while he moved his hands to her back, holding her close while walking.

"As if you didn't already know that" Grimmjow muttered quietly, rubbing her back gently; he knew that she didn't mean it so it didn't bug him too much, he just enjoyed messing with her.

"Oh I did…I just like that about you" She whispered, giggling as Grimmjow looked down at her, staring with wide eyes; of all the things he expected her to say, that wasn't one of them.

"You what?" He asked, looking back up as he walked; not wanting her to catch him staring after what she just said, he was still a little shaken by what she said.

"I like that about you, the way you act" She clarified, making him smile faintly; even though he hadn't been expecting it from her, it was nice to know she actually liked him for who he was.

"Alright you, enough of that…we got some stuff to buy" He muttered, setting her down gently as he stepped into the store; watching as she nodded and stretched.


	6. Stolen

Grimmjow lifted his head as Starrk came running into the bedroom; looking panicked and out of breath, sweat running down his forehead, causing him to frown.

"What the fuck Starrk?" Grimmjow asked, watching as Starrk lifted his head, looking around the room with a frown; causing worry to fill Grimmjow, he'd never seen Starrk behave like this before.

"Where's Piri?" He asked, those two words causing Grimmjow to freeze, panic and fear filling his entire being; those two words were something he never wanted to hear from Starrk, not ever.

"What do you mean? You were supposed to watch her today" He muttered quietly, staring at Starrk while clenching his fists; Grimmjow hadn't gotten any sleep last night after the day out shopping with Piri, her words had kept him wide awake, so Starrk offered to watch out for her today while he slept.

"I know, fuck…I ran into a friend that I hadn't seen in forever, I took my eyes off of her for a second Grimmjow, then she was gone!" Starrk explained, running a hand through his hair while Grimmjow got up, storming up to Starrk before grabbing his top, slamming him into a wall roughly, not caring at the way Starrk groaned in pain.

"You fuck head…! _One fucking day_! You couldn't watch her for one fucking day while I slept?! That's bullshit! Do you know what they'll do to her!? Do you understand?" Grimmjow snarled darkly, his muscles tensing as his mind and heart raced; they wouldn't hesitate to hurt her, she wasn't safe where she was now.

"I said I was sorry" Starrk muttered, staring down at Grimmjow as he dropped him, letting him hit the ground; he had no idea where to start looking for her, not a clue.

"Where were you when she went missing?" Grimmjow demanded, glaring at Starrk who smoothed out his top, sighing quietly before rubbing his head.

"I dunno…we were at the mall and she was shopping around for some clothes or something…" Starrk muttered, making Grimmjow frown more; they would have changed all of their hideouts since Grimmjow and Starrk left just in case which meant all the places he had just thought of were now useless.

"Fucking hell…did you try calling her?" He asked, running a hand through his hair worriedly; trying to think of a way to find Piri and get her home.

"No answer…" Starrk muttered as Grimmjow grabbed his phone; unlocking it before hitting her contact number, grinding his teeth as it rang, the longer it took making him more nervous.

"So you found out…" An emotionless voice muttered, causing Grimmjow to hit the loudspeaker button, motioning Starrk to stay absolutely silent.

"Yeah, I fucking found out you stupid piece of shit! What have you done to her?!" Grimmjow roared angrily, slamming his fist into the wall, ignoring the pain that burned through his hand; he was far too furious to care about his hand.

"Nothing yet…I have been trying to figure out how you survived…I made sure there was no way for Starrk to find you…so how did you manage it?" Ulquiorra asked quietly, the calm tone in his voice infuriating Grimmjow even more than he already was, Grimmjow could just sense that the pale asshole on the other side of the phone knew that too.

"None of your fucking business" He bit out roughly, resisting the urge to punch something again; he shouldn't let Ulquiorra get to him, he knew that but he also couldn't help it while Piri was in danger.

" _Grimmjow…? Is that you? Help…please! We're in a h-_ " Piri's voice was cut off by the sound of flesh hitting flesh, quickly followed by a yelp of pain, they were hurting her.

" _Ulquiorra!_ You bastard! Keep your fucking hands off of her!" Grimmjow snarled, his eyes narrowing while Starrk shook his head; watching his blue haired friend lose to his anger.

"I believe I asked you a question Sexta" Ulquiorra muttered blankly as Grimmjow closed his eyes, trying to contain his fury, he needed to be strong for her.

"Listen to me you crying freak, when I find you it won't be the same as it was when you attacked me, I'm gonna break every fucking bone in your body for daring to lay a fucking finger on her then I'm going to fucking _kill_ you and make sure no one finds the body, you lay one more fucking finger on her and I'll make sure you suffer more, I'll find a way to do it, just you fucking wait" Grimmjow muttered, opening his eyes; his voice, instead of being angry, sounded calm with only the sound of promise buried within it, he would stay calm, Grimmjow would stay calm long enough to get Piri in his arms and then he was going to let loose.

Starrk let out a sigh as Grimmjow hung up on Ulquiorra, he understood how angry Grimmjow was but now they had no way to find her and she was in more danger because Grimmjow had just pissed off Ulquiorra who wasn't afraid to take it out on Piri.

"Now what Grimmjow? We don't know where they are" Starrk muttered, watching Grimmjow smirk darkly before looking at Starrk, holding onto the phone tightly.

"Now we find that bastard Urahara, I know he can find her using this" Grimmjow chuckled darkly, holding the phone up with a furious glint in his eyes.

He was determined to get Piri back home and safe, now, at least, he had a way to do it; he had a way to get her home, to get her away from Ulquiorra and god knows who else.

"Urahara…why would he help us?" Starrk asked, frowning at his friend while Grimmjow sighed, putting his phone in his pocket; Grimmjow didn't like it but he knew how to get Urahara's help.

"Because he always wants something, so if we agree to helping him, he'll help us" Grimmjow muttered, moving and walking towards the front door, fully intent on getting help from Urahara to rescue Piri.


	7. Found

Grimmjow let out a relieved sigh as he peeked through a window, seeing Piri tied up to a chair; Starrk was beside him and ready to move at any moment.

He couldn't see anyone inside the small apartment aside from Piri but Grimmjow was weary; he knew that Ulquiorra could be anywhere in the room and he had the sneaking suspicion that he was lurking about somewhere out of sight.

"Anyone in there?" Starrk asked quietly, glancing at Grimmjow who simply shook his head; even though Piri looked alright it had been a week since she was taken and he was worried about her, he just wanted to get in, grab her and then get out.

"Just Piri…she's slumped though…I think she's sleeping…" Grimmjow muttered, moving and standing up, brushing his pants off slowly; in all honesty, Grimmjow thought she had been knocked unconscious but he was hoping she had just fallen asleep, it would make him feel so much better if that was what happened.

"You sure no one's in there? Urahara said the place always had Ulquiorra here" Starrk muttered as Grimmjow nodded slowly, walking to the front door; it would be stupid to go through the back, there'd be some sort of trap, Ulquiorra wasn't stupid and this just screamed out _trap_.

"I don't give a fuck what Urahara said about Ulquiorra, I give a fuck that Piri is in there, unconscious and we're this close…" Grimmjow paused, turning back to Starrk, holding his finger and thumb apart by a hair's width to demonstrate his point.

"To saving her and bringing her home, you really wanna hesitate now? Of all times?!" Grimmjow demanded, causing Starrk to sigh and shake his head, he knew that Grimmjow was right and he had watched Grimmjow do everything he could to find her, he couldn't turn back now of all times, it was a crucial moment.

"No, no I don't…come on, lets grab her and go" Starrk muttered while the two of them moved quickly, forcing their way into the practically abandoned apartment; when they searched the room, they found nothing and it unsettled Grimmjow on many different levels.

"Anything over there?" Starrk called, turning to face Grimmjow who shook his head and ran over to Piri, kneeling in front of her and moving his hand to her cheek, tilting her head up; enabling him to see the bruises on her once flawless face, small cuts littering her lips and cheeks.

"Fuck…Grimmjow…is she okay?" Starrk asked as Grimmjow shook his head, brushing his thumb against her pale lips gently, studying her face closely; the important thing was he could clearly see her breathing which meant she was alive.

"She's not in good shape…he's been beating the shit out of her…fuck! This is why we can't have people with us Starrk, this is the exact fucking reason!" Grimmjow snarled, standing and running his hands through his hair; wishing with his entire being that Ulquiorra could be there for him to beat the shit out of.

"Grimmjow, it wasn't…she wouldn't blame us" Starrk muttered quietly, watching him with sad eyes, he knew how attached Grimmjow had started to become to her, it was obvious.

"So what? _I blame us!_ We stayed to keep her safe and look at what happened…look at her Starrk, she's been put through hell because of us" He muttered, a defeated tone building in his voice; Grimmjow despised the fact that he was unable to protect her.

"…Let's just get her home for now" Starrk suggested quietly, watching as Grimmjow nodded and moved to Piri, kneeling beside her again and moving to untie her; his hands freezing and his blood running cold as he noticed her torn shirt.

"Something wrong…?" Starrk frowned, watching Grimmjow as he clenched his fists, staring at the bloody number carved into Piri's pale, left breast; it was the number _four_ , Ulquiorra's rank in the gang; a message to the two of them.

"That…fucking…asshole, I'll rip his fucking arms off and beat him to death with them!" Grimmjow roared, standing up and moving, slamming his fist into the wall; ignoring the severe pain that formed in his probably broken hand.

"Grimmjow, what the fuck?!" Starrk demanded, staring at him in shock while Grimmjow used his good hand to point to Piri, fury burning brightly in his eyes; when Starrk looked at where he was pointing, his blood ran cold, he knew what that number meant…it was obvious what Ulquiorra had done now, why he wasn't there waiting for them.

"Fuck…" Starrk trailed off, moving quickly and untying Piri, catching her against his chest when she fell towards the ground; an almost inaudible groan leaving her lips.

"He marked her…he fucking marked her, I'll kill him, I won't regret it either, he's going to scream and suffer more than he ever fucking imagined possible!" Grimmjow shouted, releasing his pent up anger as Starrk lifted Piri into his arms, cradling her close to his body; he needed Grimmjow calm but he had to figure out how to calm him down first.

"…Grimmy…" Piri groaned, causing both men to look at her quickly, Starrk could instantly see that she was still unconscious but Grimmjow didn't seem to care, he moved to them quickly and took her out of Starrk's arms, holding her close to his chest; an air of protection about him, nothing was getting to her again any time soon, that much was obvious.

"Grimmjow…she's still as-" Starrk was cut off almost instantly by the dark and pained look in his eyes; it reminded him of when Grimmjow's parents had died.

"I know…but she called for me" He muttered quietly, his voice almost inaudible as he pressed his lips to the side of her head, walking out of the building slowly.

"To Urahara's place then?" Starrk asked quietly, following after Grimmjow who could only nod in agreement, wanting nothing more than to hold Piri and get her fixed up so that she wouldn't be in anymore pain; he wanted to take away her pain and he was going to do it, even if he had to owe that bastard a favour or two to do it.


	8. Memories Lost to the Wind

Grimmjow frowned as he watched Urahara step out of the spare room where Piri resided, the look on his face screamed bad news and Grimmjow didn't like it, not one bit.

"What's with that look?" Starrk asked, the two of them watching Urahara sit down and adjust his green and white striped hat; hiding his eyes from Grimmjow and Starrk.

"The number won't scar, I made sure of that" Urahara muttered quietly, causing Grimmjow to sigh in relief, pressing a hand to his forehead; two whole days he's been waiting for some sort of information about her and the fact that she wouldn't scar was the best thing he could have hoped for, he didn't want her to have that burden.

"But…there's something else" Urahara muttered, pausing while looking directly at Grimmjow, a pitying flicker going through his eyes, he didn't want to tell him what he found out but it had to be said.

"What? What's wrong with her?!" Grimmjow demanded angrily, slamming his unbroken hand to the ground, causing a loud noise to echo through the room, bad news is _not_ what he wanted to hear right now.

"She has no memory of anything…" Urahara muttered quietly, making Grimmjow freeze, his eyes wide with shock and fear; she didn't remember anything? Did Ulquiorra really beat her so much that she had no memory from the hits?

"Amnesia?" Starrk asked, staring at Urahara with wide eyes; even he hadn't expected such bad news, he thought it was broken bones or something easier to handle.

"It appears that she has taken some serious damage to her head during the time she was taken…now, it could only be temporary but as things are now, she doesn't remember anything at all…she's awake if you want to see her but any stress could prolong or worsen the effects" Urahara muttered, looking pointedly at Grimmjow, who, as everyone knew, would cause the most stress if any at all.

"Don't yank my balls Urahara. What's the chance she'll remember us?" Grimmjow grunted, slowly calming down while looking towards where Piri was resting; the desire to see her building quickly.

"Honestly…I don't know, I would guess about a fifty fifty chance but then again, I could be wrong" He answered, watching as Grimmjow closed his eyes, gritting his teeth; both Starrk and Urahara could see that this was tearing him apart.

Starrk could almost imagine the thoughts going through his friend's mind; knowing Grimmjow, he was probably debating whether or not to leave, it would be a simple solution, Urahara could hide her and she would be safe, no memory of what she had to go through but Starrk knew Grimmjow wanted to stay, to be with her, for once in his life, Grimmjow had found someone he could be with that accepted him as he was.

"Come on Starrk…" Grimmjow muttered quietly, standing up and walking towards the door of Urahara's shop, causing Starrk to frown and get up; Grimmjow's mind was made up.

"Where are you two going?" Urahara asked, watching them curiously while Grimmjow glanced back at him, frowning deeply.

"She's better off without us…so we're gonna leave, you keep her safe and we'll help you when you need it…got it?" Grimmjow bit out angrily, causing Urahara to nod slowly, a sigh leaving his lips; it wouldn't be too much trouble but he knew this was just one big mistake.

They shouldn't leave her alone while she has no memory, if they stuck around it might help her more but he wasn't going to try and change their mind, it was their decision.

"Got it…what if she remembers you though?" He enquired, watching as Grimmjow pursed his lips, looking away and walking out the house, leaving Starrk alone with Urahara.

"If…she remembers us then give us a call, keep me updated though Urahara, he doesn't want to know because if he does then he'll come back and that isn't what he wants, I know I can stay away though." Starrk muttered, walking out of the house slowly, shoving his hands into his pockets while trying to catch up to Grimmjow who was muttering out curses and threats towards Ulquiorra.


End file.
